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Help for another AR 3 restoration


Sonnar

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post-116698-0-42555300-1442523657_thumb.post-116698-0-57346800-1442523837_thumb.post-116698-0-94777400-1442523913_thumb. RoyC and TysonTom, please help us! A friend send me those pictures of an AR 3's pair he wants to buy , asking me for knowing if speakers are all original. By the pics , I think all loudspeakers are original, but some idiot replace the original cloth surround with AR 3a alike foam surrounds, and removes the central collar on the woofer's cones. I think this modification can influence the mass and the Fs. It is possible to restore the original conditions of woofers, in particular the central collar ? Help me to give to another italian audiophile the opportunity to hear the magical sound of the Myth.

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If the original cloth surrounds were somehow damaged, there would be no alternative but to use foam. Nobody is making replacement cloth surrounds.

The only way to know if the person who did the job was an "idiot" is to find out why it was done and then to measure the speakers as they are to see what their response is.

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Thank You genek, probably the original surround was damaged , but I' m worried about the removed central black collar . I agree, the only way to know it's to measure the speaker response. Tweeter and midrange are surely originals and seems in nice conditions.

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Sonnar,

I would question more than the missing damping ring.

-The replacement foam is not typical of AR foam. Has it been spliced together? Is it compliant or stiff?

-The tweeter and the midrange have new leads, which indicates someone has worked on them. Are they properly soldered to the original aluminum leads? What work was done?

-The tweeter dome suspension has been replaced with a black material, which is cause for concern.

I would pass on these unless they are very inexpensive...and your friend is prepared to do some work.

Roy

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Thank you, Roy, I' ve noticed that lead wires on mids and tweeters are different , bigger than thin aluminum wires on my AR 3's, but I' ve thought perhaps some of many AR variations during production. I can't answer to Your question about foam surrounds because we have only pictures. I 'm in Rome, my friend in Genova and AR 3 are in Bologna, three different cities.However, Italy is a very small country and we have many highways, so I think it's better to see and hear and then decide. Best wishes, Adriano

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  • 2 weeks later...

If the original cloth surrounds were somehow damaged, there would be no alternative but to use foam. Nobody is making replacement cloth surrounds.

FWIW I had a 12" KLH Model Twelve woofer with a bad cloth surround. Bill LeGall said he could replace the cloth.

As it turns out I simply bought another woofer but most of us are familiar with Bill and his work and if he says he can replace a cloth surround I'd take that to the bank.

-Kent

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